Anderson Silva vs. Nick Diaz
The first round began. Silva circling away early. Diaz is talking already. Diaz lands a good leg kick. "I want him to be mic-ed. He is talking mad trash." Diaz is talking a lot. Beckoning Silva in. Diaz lays down and then stands, 4:00. Rogan laughs, crowd roars. Diaz goes back to the cage beckoning Silva in. Big John makes him fight. Diaz poses with his back to Anderson. Big John says "go after him then." Silva lands an inside kick. Silva lands a short counter right. 3:00. Diaz lands an inside kick and a leg kick. And a right jab to the body. Diaz lands a right hook to the body and a left. Anderson lands a leg kick. Diaz lands a right hook, just a glancing one. Silva lands an inside kick. 2:00, crowd chanting Diaz. And a light Silva chant. Silva trying that stomp side kick to the knee. Diaz lands a left, eats a counter left. Silva lands a jab, tries a flying knee. 1:00. Diaz lands a left and a right. Silva lands a right jab and another. Solid ones. Diaz lands a leg kick. Silva lands a left. Looks for an elbow, knees the body, lands a right and two more, eats two rights himself. 30. Silva lands a counter left. Diaz chant from the crowd. 15. Diaz tries a spinning back kick. R1 ends, tough to score, I'd give it to Diaz. Keep in mind, I'm trying not to be biased too. "Continue doing exactly what you're doing, just perfect form, no lazy punches," Melendez told Nick. R2 began. Silva lands that sidekick to the leg. Mostly circling. 4:00. Silva lands an inside kick. Silva fans chanting something. Silva lands a left and an inside kick. Diaz lands a probing inside kick. "Pop pop pop!" Diaz lands a solid leg kick and another. 3:00. And another! And another. Silva lands a hard leg kick. Silva sprawls a telegraphed single easily. Diaz feints it again a few times. Diaz blocks a high kick. Diaz misses a pair of high kicks, picks a wedgie and shrugs. 2:00. Diaz blocks a right elbow and grins. Diaz lands a solid leg kick. Diaz lands a right to the body, two left hands over the top and Silva lands a leg kick and an inverted right elbow and a leg kick, that last one was hard. Silva lands a straight left. 1:00. Silva lands a hard body kick. 35. Diaz lands a right jab. Diaz lands a few short rights, a few more over the top avoiding the clinch. Diaz lands a right jab, taunts Silva. 10 seconds. R2 ends, Big John holds Diaz back from walking at Anderson. Anderson looks pissed, squared up. Another close round. Honestly 10-9 Diaz as well. Both those first rounds could go either way. "Don't stay in one place," they told Silva. "Keep doing what you're doing, toe to toe boxing, elbows in the clinch," Melendez told Diaz. Little cut over Nick's left eye. R3 began. Diaz lands that side stomp kick to the leg/knee. Silva lands an inside kick. Silva lands a good leg kick. Another sidekick. Silva lands a decent left. And a blocked high kick. 4:00. Diaz standing still with his hands down, Big John wants work, boos, Silva backs off, Diaz pursues. Silva lands another sidekick to that leg. Diaz lands a counter right. Silva lands an inside kick. Diaz waving his hands around. Diaz trying to hunt him down. Silva lands a left and a right jab. 3:00. Silva lands another sidekick to the leg. Diaz lands a probing leg kick. Silva misses an inverted elbow, tries a flying knee, eats a right over the top and a left, Silva lands a body kick. Diaz lands a leg kick and another. And another. Silva chant from the crowd. Diaz lands a right jab. Nick's left eye is busted up. 2:00. Silva lands a right hook to the body and a left. Diaz lands a right to the body and a left, another right jab. Silva lands an inside kick. Silva lands a straight kick to the leg. 1:00. Diaz lands a hard leg kick. Diaz lands a right jab. Silva lands a leg kick and a body kick and a right hook, misses a wheel kick. 35. Silva lands a hard leg kick. Diaz lands a jab and another and a left. And another left. Diaz lands a right. 15. R3 ends, 10-9 Silva but not exactly dominant. "Use your kicks, set up the hands," they told Diaz. "Move more," they told Silva. "Surprise him with the elbow." R4 began. Diaz checks an inside kick, lands one. Silva sidekicks the leg. Silva moving. Silva chant from the crowd, very loud. Diaz chant. Diaz chasing him. 4:00. Diaz lands a hard leg kick. Silva lands an inside kick. Diaz lands a left and a leg kick and another kick and another. Diaz looking slightly winded? Perhaps. He's circling away hismelf now. 3:00. Silva jabs the body. Sidekicks the leg. Diaz coming forward again. Silva jabs the body. Diaz missing leg kicks. Diaz lands an inside kick, eats a counter right hook. Diaz talking. Silva lands a leg kick. 2:00. Diaz lands three right elbows inside and a right. Silva walking after him. Silva lands a hard leg kick. Diaz ate an eyepoke, Silva apologized. Diaz didn't react to it at all. 1:00. Diaz misses a spinning kick nonchalantly. Does a little shuffle. "Nick's not going to win a fight like that." Silva lands an inside kick. 35. Silva lands a leg kick. 15. Diaz showboating, dancing. R4 ends, 10-9 Silva. "You won the fourth one and you won the last round," they told Silva. "Jab, hook, then elbow, let's win this and win this well," they told Silva. "Don't trade punches with him now, you're the only one that hits," they said. "Make him exchange, don't get overaggressive but make him fight you," Melendez told Nick. R5 began. Silva lands an inside kick, sidekicks the leg. Diaz puts his chin out there showboating, and again. Does a little running man motion. Diaz talking. Silva lands a left. Silva lands an inside kick. 4:00. Silva lands a nice jab. Crowd chanting Silva. Silva circling away. Diaz lands a nice left. And a right hook and another, dodges a high kick, eats a left. 3:00. Diaz jabs the body, lands a left. Silva lands a right jab. Silva circling away. Silva eats a kick, lands one. Diaz lands a leg kick. And another. 2:00. Silva lands a left. Diaz lands a one-two, eats a counter left. Silva lands an inside kick, tries a flying knee, misses a flashy kick. Nick's left eye looks bad. Silva lands a right jab. Silva's leg is bruised. Diaz lands a leg kick. 1:00. Diaz lands a right hook but ate a right elbow. Nick's left eye bleeding badly now. 35 as Silva lands a solid left. Silva lands an inside kick. 15. Diaz trying to corner him. Throws a flying kick at the bell missing, R5 ends, 10-9 Silva probably but the closest of the last three rounds. Yeah I guess 48-47 Silva. Fuck it. 49-46, 50-45 twice UD for Silva. Wow. Silva collapsed on his back crying. Diaz came over and helped Anderson up. "Don't cry, you're the winner." Hugs him. "I respect you," Anderson said. Anderson said "Nick is the best. This is the first time I fought a guy mentally strong, punches strong, kicks strong." He thanked Nick for the opportunity. Anderson said "This is no bad man. This is Nick Diaz." Anderson hinted he might retire for his family. "And.. maybe I back, I don't know." He thanked the crowd. Nick said he felt like he was ahead most of the time. "If you lay down in front of me I'm gonna come in and get you." He said "I felt like I won every round." Crowd boos. Mentions the Sherk fight. "These judges don't like my attitude out here. I can stand here all day too, I guess maybe that'd be better for you but then I wouldn't be here today." He said he was saying "Do something, you got something better than that little stomp kick." He thanked Anderson and Dana White. Thanked everybody including Joe Schilling and somebody yelled "Fuck Joe Schilling." Mentions his boxing trainer not being with him. Diaz said he was always asking himself "a few days before these fights, what the hell am I doing? I love the people, I love the training, I love how the sport has evolved." He said he loves his fans. Diaz hugs Anderson.